Santa Cruz County nonprofit health organizations will receive $810,000 in opioid settlement funds in 2026 to help provide support for prevention, intervention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery related to opioid-related disorders.
The Health Services Agency’s behavioral health division and Community Foundation Santa Cruz County announced the nonprofit organization awardees. The program has awarded $1.6 million since September 2024.
The funds are money received from opioid manufacturers, pharmaceutical distributors and pharmacies because of litigation against these companies for their roles in the opioid epidemic.
Santa Cruz County is expecting to receive a total of $29 million for more than 16 years of opioid remediation activities, defined as “care, treatment and other programs and expenditures designed to address the misuse and abuse of opioid products, treat or mitigate opioid use or related disorders, or mitigate other alleged effects of, including on those injured as a result of the opioid epidemic.”
In 2023, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors approved a spending plan through a community grants program administered by the Community Foundation.
Grants were competitive, with a total of $2.1 million requested and a total of $810,000 to be distributed in 2026. The money will be used through June 2027.
The awardees and grant amounts are: New Life Community Services, $201,358; Housing Matters, $170,000; Santa Cruz Community Health, $135,642; Health Improvement Partnership of Santa Cruz County, $85,000; Siena House, $80,000; Homeless Garden Project, $60,000; Stepping Up Santa Cruz, $48,000; and Barrios Unidos Santa Cruz, $30,000.
For access to substance use disorder support resources, visit Santa Cruz County Opioid Prevention and Response or call 211, now available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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